Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1887-05-13
THE PIONEERS STORY.

The old pioneer did not belong to the
city. He was born and raised in the in
terror of the state. among the trees and
the meadows, where the contrast with
city ways was both healthful and inspir-
ing. Now, in the evening of life, he
came here to say with favorite grand
son, III a pleasant home in the West End.
The frosts of eighty-two winters had
whitened his hair, but had not in the least
dimmed his eve nor bent the stalwart
form which in youth had faced the wild
beasts of the great wilderness which then
covered the state of Ohio. \ life of out
door activity had strengthened vigorous
constitution to almost iron hardness, and
he had never known the Encouragement
of days illness or the tyranny of a
doctor. He was always ready for frolic
with the children, to whom he was
blindly devoted, his especial favorite being
little Polly, as miscellaneous a sprite as
ever wheedled a doting grandparcnt The
other evening Polly was curled up in the
old mans lap as he sat before the fire.
The talk had been about ''old times, and
finally when Polly began teasing for a
story, the old man fell to musing. and
after little he answered.
Don't blieve | know any stories,
Polly, though he looked wonderfully like
he did
Tell us somethin' bout when you was
a boy. gran pa. = said she.
I'm afeard tn little girls now wouldn't
keer much for hearin' bout things in
them days. We didn't hev much o any
thing like you hev now. Things hev
changed wonderf'ly, Polly, wonderf'ly.
Eff folks who died then could only be
walked up now, they'd stare, l guess
They wouldn' t know any thing they used
to. I'll net, n jest's likes not they'd
b'lieve shev'd made a mistake n walked
up'n tn wrong world N | guess f
you d see some o them you wouldn't
spose they blonged 'roun' here, either
TIL best dressed men an wimen them
days he'd to put up 18th homespun for
Sunday clothes, n glad enough to get
EN-, too. One o them critters you call
dudes nd faint away f he'd hev to
dress up like one O. the dandies when |
wuz a boy. l remember one o them
dandies, Sim Peters his name wuz. use
ter come courtin' my oldest sister, Jane,
when l wuz a good smart chunk NV
boy. Use ter be ON han every Sunday
night, an he'd never hev much to say,
but he'd look lots O. things out pair o.
watery blue eyes. Sister Jane didn't
pay no 'tention to him for a long time.
n when she did it wuz cause she took a
big intrust in Citing him out o tn way
whenever Dick Ballor wuz around.
Dick married her arter while n useter
live t his house more'n half my time
fore | growed up, cause Jane wuz my
favorite sister, n Dick took a notion to
me, ennyhow. They lived bout mile
from my fathers house, cross the creek,
n them days fishin' wuz fshin', n l
usedter manage to put in heap O time
at it, making mother think was at
James, n Jane think l wuz at home.
But l most alters got forgiveness f my
luck'd be good n it most alters wuz.
They wuz nice fish, too, them days. h"
"Grandpa!' said Polly, severely.
Yes
"You haven't told us thing about
how Sim Peters was dressed"
'Sim Peters! Oh, yes: forgot nigh all
about him. WE'LL along to'ards tn last,
he seemed + think he wouldn't hev no
sort O luck courtin' Mess he got spruced
up; goods tn very best-real fash nble,
you know. Them days backwoodsmen
like us wuz fixed up t tn mines f we
had buckskin suit. Sim he got real
nice buckskin suit made, it'll fringes
along tn seams O tn pants, n on tn
front n on tn bottom O. tn coat-hunt-
in shirt, they called it. Looked nice,
tell ye, n Sim was prouder' II peacock
IN it. He'd wore it once or twice afore
Sunday got along, n when that day
came he put it on agin, n could hardly
wait for evenin', he wuz so anxious to
show it off afore his sweetheart. He
lived bout two miles an half from our
house, but you could save bout half
mile in winter time when tn swamp
WIZ frozen over by walkin' straight
across on tn ice, n Sim didn't miss tn
chance to economize time that night
TIL dogs didn't know him at first n
wuzn't goin to let him in, till father
went out n set him down afore tn fire.
Sim wuz always bashful n he wuz
worse n ever that night cause Dick wuz
there, n seemed on mighty good terms
18th sister Jane. Besides, he'd met 18th
an accident. Comm cross tn ice in tn
swamp he'd broke through n got wet
above tn knees, n his fine, new suit
didn't show to good advantage, n he felt
mean, tho he wuz so much in love t
he'd faced lion for Janeys sake. s
he wuz all wet father jest made him set
right down near tn fire n dry himself.
Purity soon he seemed to get more COM
fort bic, n KEEP his eyes on Janey like he
wuz afraid she'd get away f he didn't
watch her. She KEEP on laughin' n
talkin, first 18th him n then 18th Dick,
havin' real nice time, like a girl allays
hez when she hez two fellers to play off
agin one another All to once l saw her
kinder stop n seem puzzled when she
said somethin' to him, but it wuz all
right in mint; but it wuzn't five min
utes afore she looked puzzleder n ever.
After that she seemed to try to avoid
lookin' at Sim, n jest KEEP up n ever
lastin' chatter 18th Dick n seemed mighty
tickled bout tn least little thing at nd
never make her smile afore. She got
redder n piney partly cause she